Nine to Eleven Months old Baby
What Your Baby Does at This Age
- Pulls herself to standing position and stands on her own. Crawls a lot. Climbs furniture and stairs whenever she can. May bend over to retrieve a toy from the floor. Experiments with household objects and anything else she can find. Pulls books off shelves, overturns plants, drops items into the toilet, and so on.
- Can coordinate thumb and forefinger precisely. He can pick up small stuff and put it in his mouth. He can fit small objects together, such as a lock and key or shape blocks. May pull off socks and untie shoelaces.
- Understands relationships between certain objects, such as jar and lid or keys and a lock. Understands many words, such as "shoe," "cookie," and "ball." Understands simple instructions, such as "Bring me…"
- Has certain favorite toys; makes her preferences clear.
- Initiates hide-and-seek games. Also "hides" by covering her eyes with her hands when she doesn't want you to see her. Cooperates when you dress her.
- Seeks attention and companionship. May develop stranger anxiety which resolves spontaneously at 18 months of age. Babies who have multiple caretakers don’t show much stranger shyness or anxiety.
Important Changes
- Your baby wants to stand and walk but probably can't manage it without support yet. He may cruise along the furniture, hanging on as he takes uncertain steps.
- Your baby copies other people increasingly. She imitates your tone of voice, gestures, and facial expressions. She tries to do the things she sees you or the older sibling doing. She'll try to feed you, just as you feed her.
- Your baby's appreciation of music and rhythm is growing. When you play a record with a strong beat, she'll sway, bounce, or hum.
- Your baby anticipates events better. For example, she knows you're going out when you get dressed up. She expects to eat when she hears the sounds of meal preparation in the kitchen.
- Your baby is entering an age of many moods. She's often torn between getting your approval and doing what she wants to do.
- Your baby's increasing intelligence tells him that mother and father mean comfort and safety. So he shows more dependence than in months past.
Support Development
- Hide a toy under a blanket. Ask your baby, "Where's the toy?" If he doesn't find it easily, pull the blanket away.
- Give your baby a squeaky toy and show him how it works. Praise him when he makes it squeak. At bath time, fill a plastic squirt bottle with water. Gently squirt your baby, and then let him squirt you.
- Play finger games with your baby. Sing "Jack and Jill went up the hill," walking your fingers up his arm.
- Give your baby stack toys or objects that fit inside each other, such as a nest of plastic measuring cups.
- Follow a routine for bedtime and naps. Cuddle your baby and talk to him quietly,
read a story from a colorful book or sing. Near bedtime, avoid activities that excite him. Keep familiar objects in his crib that are available only at sleep time.
- Continue talking to your baby. Show him what you're doing, and name familiar objects. Keep giving him plenty of hugs and love.
Feeding your baby: As he can pick up small things, give him finger foods and let him eat on his own even if he makes a mess. They want to be independent. Good finger foods are cheerios, small square-cut pieces of toast, cheese piece, soft fruits like bananas, cookies etc. Let him sit on the table during family meals so he develops the habit. Gradually transition him to table food when he is 12 months old.
Whole milk is to be given after he is one year old. Weaning will be easy if you gradually start transition a week before his birthday. You may mix ¾ formula and ¼ whole milk for a couple of days then half and half then more whole milk and ¼ formula and finally whole milk. The week of birthday throw away all the bottles and the following week throw away all his pacifiers. To discontinue bottles and pacifier just throwing them away and stopping at once works best.
Vitamins: Poly-vi-sol drops daily.
Shoes: We recommend bare foot walking as the baby is more stable and can walk better.
Poisoning and Safety Your baby will try to put anything available in his mouth. So keep medicines, coins, cleaning supplies, small toys or beads out of their reach. In case he eats anything harmful, call
poison control at 800-222-1222.